Are you able to legally gamble online in South Africa, and what about playing at online casinos?

South Africa has the largest gambling market on the continent, and boasts around fifty casinos, including world-class resorts offering the full range of slots and table games, such as roulette, blackjack, craps, and baccarat. There are also hundreds of licensed bookmakers around the country where people can place wagers on horse racing and sporting events, with gamblers even allowed to place sports and horse racing bets online. Nevertheless, online casinos are banned, although online gambling legislation is primarily geared towards the online casinos themselves, and not individual players.

Background

Gambling has been severely restricted in South Africa since 1673, with the first tentative steps towards regulating the industry taken after the Gambling Act of 1965 officially banned all forms of gambling, except for horse betting. In 1996, South Africa subsequently overhauled three centuries of restrictive laws when The National Gambling Act established a National Gambling Board (NGB) and permitted a number of licenced land-based casino operations, as well as an official national lottery.

In 2004, the National Gambling Act was repealed to make online sports and horse race betting legal within the country’s borders following the acquisition of an official license. Meanwhile, all other forms of online gambling became illegal, including casinos, poker and bingo. The National Gambling Amendment Act introduced in 2008 then aimed to legalise and regulate all interactive gambling games, but ultimately failed to pass into law, mostly due to objections put forward by the South African casino industry.

On 20 August 2010 even online gambling offered through servers located outside the country was banned in South Africa. This was the result of the North Gauteng High Court judgement on the jurisdiction of online gambling transactions in the country. Consequently, both offering gambling services online and gambling online became illegal. South Africa's #1 Online Casino Guide. Our online casino guide focuses exclusively on serving the South African market. Here you'll find well researched expert reviews of 2020 best South Africa online casinos, helpful beginners information along with game guides, banking option recommendations and the latest SA gambling news.

Online Gambling

Online casino gambling may be considered illegal under South Africa’s current gambling laws, but players have little to worry about as legislation mainly targets online casino operators, meaning players can still technically gamble online without breaking any specific laws. Although the NGB holds online casino companies solely responsibility for their operations, South Africa has shown little appetite for pursuing any legal action in the past, mostly because forcing the issue is likely to result in the activity being driven further underground, leaving the country’s players completely unprotected and potentially exposed to criminal activity.

Consequently, a good number of highly-rated operators continue to offer their online casino services from outside of South Africa, with their site’s holding online gambling licenses granted from reputable jurisdictions, such as Gibraltar, Guernsey, and Malta.

Furthermore, many offer attractive welcome bonuses, promotions, and rewards to South African players.

The National Gambling Board

The National Gambling Board is an agency within the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that is responsible for monitoring and supervising all gambling activities within South Africa, including ensuring that all businesses comply with legislation and uphold the best standards of the industry.

The NGB is also tasked, whenever necessary, with investigating the issuing of national licenses by individual regulatory bodies throughout the country’s nine provinces. Gambling operators are free to offer their online sports and horse racing services in South Africa providing that they first obtain a national license from a provincial licensing authority, with the Western Cape Gambling and Racing Board (WCGRB) currently the biggest issuer having granted 32 online licenses to date.

Since before South Africa became a republic, gambling in most forms was banned. While the laws have changed significantly, it is certainly not a free for all, however, gambling in and of itself is no longer illegal. Gambling in land-based establishments in South Africa is legal and regulated. For many years, South Africans traveled outside of the legal borders of South African in order to go to a casino. With the changes in the gambling law, this is no longer necessary. Online gambling in South Africa is still illegal at this time.

SA'S GAMBLING ACT OF 1965

The South African Gambling Act of 1965 ruled gambling as illegal. Gambling, such as horseracing, was legal. The reason for this is because horseracing is considered a sport. In the 1970s, there were a number of illegal casinos created, with the number rising until there were about 2,000 illegal casinos in the mid 90s. Along with the change from a conservative government to a democratic one, the gambling laws were updated in 1994. At that time, gambling was legalised. In 1996, South Africa introduced a national lottery and regulated and licensed casinos.

Online Gambling South Africa

CHANGES TO THE GAMBLING ACT IN 2004

In 2004, the 1996 Act was repealed, and the National Gambling Act of 2004 came into effect. While land-based gambling was still allowed, online gambling was no longer considered legal. Again, sportsbetting, even if it was done online, was still considered legal. While online gambling is illegal, the emphasis and main responsibility seems to lie with the gambling operators and the financial institutions. To date, no individuals have been prosecuted for playing at online casinos.

Is Online Betting Legal In South Africa

GAMBLING LAW TODAY

In 2008, there was an attempt to legalise and regulate the online gambling market in South Africa, however, since there was strong opposition, the Act has not yet been accepted as law. In 2010, the North Gauteng High Court issued a ruling that gambling transactions though both local and offshore operators is illegal. While both players and operators are fully aware of this law, there are still many casino choices open to South African players.

Those who choose to play at online casinos should make sure that the casinos are safe and secure, and have a good reputation. Although the online casinos will not be licensed in South Africa, it is important to choose a casino that is fully licensed in a recognised gaming jurisdiction.

Many of the online casinos that still offer their sites to South African players will offer players the chance of playing in South African Rands (ZAR), and thereby avoiding exchange rate fees. Many casinos also offer a special Welcome Bonus or free money offer to those who are located in South Africa. In addition to this, players should keep an eye open for an online casino with top notch Customer Support team. Customer Support is available 24 hours a day, with many support teams offering a South African toll free telephone number.